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TIMES Harvest United Methodist Church | Volume 19, Issue 9 | September, 2016

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 SEED Groups and Bible studies have started and you can still join! Some people wonder

WORSHIP AT

HARVEST

how they can fit yet another obligation into their schedules. Others are overwhelmed by the enormity of the Bible and can hardly imagine starting to explore it in earnest. There are still others who might view joining a discipleship group like attaching a spiritual ball and chain to their fun and freedom. If you resonate with any of the above, or had no problem coming up with your own rationalization for skirting around being in a SEED Group, I have a message for you: I feel you. Plenty of us know what it is to answer Jesus’ call to small-group discipleship in our best Meatloaf: “I would do anything for love…but I won’t do that.” And still, I can tell you from my experience that being part of formational small groups hasn’t weighed me down, it has lifted me up. Talk to someone who has decided to intentionally put on the yoke of Jesus and learn about him with brothers and sisters. See if they don’t also tell you that it is

LAKEWOOD RANCH CAMPUS 14305 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch

Sunday 9 AM Traditional Worship Sunday 10:30 AM Contemporary Worship Sunday 5 PM Harvest Youth HY5

the opposite of a burden, it is freeing! I’m not big on guilt, but I believe in the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I don’t find coercion to be very convincing, but an invitation to a journey is something that intrigues me. Maybe you’ve never been part of a small group, but you’re feeling a nudge today. I want you to know that there is a place for you, if you’re willing to take the plunge. No one will push you in. But if you listen closely enough you can hear your SEED Group friends calling, “Come on in, take a load off!” You won’t regret it. May the Lord bless and keep, Pastor Michael For Group Info: http://welcometoharvest.org/seed/

BAYSHORE CAMPUS Worshiping at Lee Middle School 4000 53rd Avenue West, Bradenton

Sunday 10:30 AM

WANT MORE? facebook.com/harvestumc harvestumc harvestumc welcometoharvest.org

Supporting Each other Every Day

[email protected]

HARVEST TEAM Rev. Michael Pestel Lead Pastor Rev. Katie Pestel Pastor Rev. Jennifer Potter Buff Bayshore Campus Pastor Brad Baten Youth Minister

SERVE CHILDREN IN LOCAL SCHOOLS Our community’s kids returned to school last month. Harvest offers love and hope to children in our community by serving them at their schools. Samoset Elementary School in Samoset Pack-A-Sack for hungry kids, weekly reading, teacher support, book fair. Karen Arnold | 941.360.8376 | [email protected]

Reed Conley Director of Worship Arts

Lee Middle School in Bayshore Pack-A-Sack and teacher support. Chris Kohatsu | 202.270.7186 | [email protected]

Terry Cox Executive Assistant to the Pastors

McNeal Elementary School in Lakewood Ranch

Carin Doddroe Operations Administrative Assistant

Read weekly with migrant students from Falkner Farm families. Gary Hansell | 908.487.0173 | [email protected]

Dan Funk Comptroller Stacey Gadeken Discipleship Assistant Alan Hensley Facilities Manager Mike Kennedy Director of Discipleship Interim Director of Operations Dave Lewis Choral Music Director Jesus Maldonado Custodian

Take Stock in Children mentors at various area schools. Mentor a student who hopes for a better future through a college scholarship. Stacey Gadeken | 941.907.7333 | [email protected]

Learn more at welcometoharvest.org/schools.

SAMARITAN FUNDRAISER DINNER

Robert (Bob) Migliore Custodian

Save the Date!

Cindee Shevlin Sprouts CDC Director

December 1st at our Lakewood Ranch campus for a fundraiser to support

Catherine Sykes Youth and Children’s Ministry Administrative Assistant Dan Whissell Associate Worship Leader Brenda Wilson Nursery Ministry Coordinator Nadia Wood Interim Director of Children’s Ministry Staff can be reached via email at [email protected] (ex. [email protected])

Advent Dinner returns to Harvest - Mark your calendar to join us on Thursday, Samaritan Counseling Services of the Gulf Coast. In addition to dinner and a musical program, we will learn how Samaritan provides counseling services for individuals and families in the midst of their own personal crises. Check the October Harvest Times for more details.

NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD DRIVE

RETURNS

Feeding Hungry Neighbors Harvest’s annual Neighborhood Food Drive will return in October. Stay tuned for details on how we’ll invite folks in our lives to provide food for hungry neighbors and then offer the food to God in worship on October 16th.

Harvest Times | Harvest United Methodist Church | 2

Sav Dat

HARVESTERS

ve the te

Harvesters Go On Tour at The Van Wezel in September Have you ever wanted to know just how all that stage

Comfortable low-heeled shoes and sweaters are suggested

scenery gets to where it belongs at just the right time? Well

for the tour.

on Wednesday, September 28th, the Harvesters (50+)

The tour will begin at 10 AM at The Van Wezel. Cost for the

will have the opportunity to find out as you participate in a Backstage and Art Tour at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota. The approximately one-hour tour will include the art collection of the Fine Arts Society which is on permanent exhibit at the Van Wezel. Tour guides will walk the Harvesters through the gallery of paintings and sculptures of Florida’s most renowned artists. The guided tour also offers the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the Van Wezel for a look at the workings

tour is $5.00/person. The cost of the tour is non-refundable. Registration deadline is Wednesday, September 21st. Following the tour, the Harvesters have 11:45 AM lunch reservations at Der Dutchman restaurant on Bahia Vista in Sarasota. The Harvesters have a reserved room and you will be enjoying the daily luncheon buffet. Cost of the buffet lunch will be $16.75 per person which includes beverage, tax, gratuity and even a piece of pie.

backstage. View the myriad of ropes, pulleys and flys for

More Info:

creating scenery and special effects, the movable orchestra

Bob and Mary Stark | 231.564.0677 [email protected] Register: welcometoharvest.org/harvesters

pit, dressing rooms, hydraulic lifts, rehearsal rooms and the Green Room where performers relax between shows.

TUESDAYLIVE! FALL SEMESTER TuesdayLIVE! women meet

Preregistration is open now. You may sign up at Hospitality

every Tuesday morning, from

Hub 1 at the Lakewood Ranch campus. At that time you may

9 - 11:30, during the school

pick up a registration sheet and return it along with payment

year to study a deeper meaning

at anytime. Childcare is also available with advance sign-up

of the Bible and to learn

and payment.

from each other, to support and care for each other and ultimately to grow closer to God. TuesdayLIVE! is open to all women, so your friends and family members are welcome to share this experience with you! This Fall’s study, Set Apart: Holy Habits of Prophets and Kings, involves 12 weeks of study with lessons led by a DVD series with the author Jessica LaGrone. DVD lessons occur every other week with weekly lessons focusing on Scripture and lessons in our workbook. After completing the lessons at home, our small group discussions help us learn more deeply

Our first TuesdayLIVE! meeting will be on September 13. If you have not registered, please arrive at 8:30 AM. If you are preregistered, please arrive at 8:45 AM to pick up your materials. A prayer will begin at 9 AM and then we’ll have brunch. Sessions continue through December 13. We hope that you can find time to join us for this incredible experience. If you have questions about TuesdayLIVE! please contact Melissa Gurchiek.

More Info: Melissa Gurchiek | 812.890.1069 [email protected] welcometoharvest.org/tuesdaylive

about God’s message. Harvest Times | Harvest United Methodist Church | 3

HARVEST KIDS

LAKEWOOD RANCH CAMPUS

HARVEST KIDS LOCK IN 9.30 All kids grades 1st-5th see if you can survive...the lock-in!! Here is your first challenge! The tribes will meet at 6 PM on Friday, September 30 until 8 AM on October 1. Activities will include supper, survival skill training, obstacle courses and a fun family movie. We will have fun learning about teamwork and have an opportunity for a mission project. Survivors should come prepared by bringing a sleeping bag, pillow, toothbrush, pajamas, a change of clothes and any medication (with written instructions and parent signature). Please label all supplies! The cost is $12 per child or $30 per family for families with three or more children. We can’t wait to see you!

More Info: Nadia Wood | 941.907.7333 [email protected] welcometoharvest.org/harvestkids

HARVEST KIDS SPOTLIGHT My name is Caleigh Patterson and I am in 5th grade at Wakeland Elementary School. I just turned 10. I am on the news crew as a tri-caster. I have a big brother Jonah who is almost 12 and a dog named Tiger who I absolutely adore. My mom and dad are Caryn and Steve. My favorite sport is soccer. I have been playing competitive soccer for 4 years at the Braden River Rage and I made the A team this year. I am crazy about dogs and wolves and I study them all the time. I also love to hang out with my family and go on vacations where it is cold. It is too hot in Florida! Some of the best things about Harvest are learning about God and Jesus and going on the mission trip to Miami. We have gone on the mission trip twice and love to help the homeless people.

SECOND GRADE BIBLES 9.11 If you have a 2nd grader, please let us know! 2nd graders will receive their very own Bibles from our pastors during September 11 worship services. Submit your child’s name and which campus service you will attend to Nadia Wood at [email protected].

More Info: Nadia Wood | 941.907.7333 [email protected] welcometoharvest.org/harvestkids Harvest Times | Harvest United Methodist Church | 4

HARVEST YOUTH CONFIRMATION 2016 We are excited to offer Confirmation classes this fall! Students

· Confirmation classes: Sunday mornings from 9 to 10 AM at

will spend time with families, church leaders, and each other as

the Harvest Lakewood Ranch campus on September 25 and

they explore the fundamentals of our shared faith. Ultimately

October 9, 16, 23 & 30.

students will be offered the opportunity to claim church

· Community Service: The confirmation class will participate

membership through a profession of faith as a part of our

in a community service project together on November 5.

worship services on November 6. Confirmation at Harvest is

· Confirmation Sunday: November 6 at the 9 or 10:30 AM

open to any student 7th grade or older.

worship service.

· Registration Deadline is September 16. · Mandatory brief parents’ meeting September 18 from 10 – 10:15 AM. · 2016 Confirmation Retreat: September 30-October 1 at Warren W. Willis Camp in Leesburg, FL. The cost for the retreat

More Info: welcometoharvest.org/youth Brad Baten | 941.907.7333 [email protected]

is $90 per youth, which includes transportation, meals, lodging and all materials for the retreat.

FAMILY FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 11 Join us on September 11th from 12 to 2PM at Harvest Lakewood Ranch for a Family Festival. Come see what is coming up for families at Harvest! We will provide lunch and fun activities for the whole family. Kona Ice and Hahn’s Kettlecorn will be available for purchase to satisfy your sweet tooth.

BLESSING of the BACKPACKS On August 7th, children brought their backpacks to worship. Our pastors prayed over our children as they prepared to begin the new school year. The children also received a flashlight keychain and special prayer to remind them that their Harvest family is praying for them. Families also brought in boxes of pencils for Samoset elementary students. Harvest Times | Harvest United Methodist Church | 5

FALL SEED GROUPS ISEED Groups are small groups that meet regularly and Support Each other Every Day, with a strong emphasis on spiritual formation. No matter where you are your faith journey - from exploring questions about your faith to wanting to deepen your relationship with Christ - Harvest has a group for you.

More Info: Stacey Gadeken | 941.907.7333 | [email protected] | welcometoharvest.org/seed

Supporting Each other Every Day

Disciple I Disciple I: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study is the initial study that gives the Old and New Testaments equal time, emphasizing the wholeness of the Bible as a revelation of God. DISCIPLE draws upon the work of scholars, the personal Bible reading and study of the participant, and dynamic group discussion to aid understanding of the Bible. Leader: Mark Burling | Wednesdays | 6:30-9 PM | September 7 - May 31 (35 weeks)

Disciple IV Disciple IV Under the Tree of Life is the final study in the four-phase DISCIPLE program. The study concentrates on Old Testament Writings, the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, James, Jude, and finally, Revelation. Emphasis on the Psalms as Israel’s hymnbook and prayer book leads naturally to an emphasis on worship in the study. Present through the entire study is the sense of living toward completion – toward the climax of the message and the promise, extravagantly pictured in Revelation. The image of the tree and the color gold emphasize the prod and promise in the Scriptures. The word “under” in the title is meant to convey invitation, welcome, sheltering, security, and rest – home at last. Leaders: Diane McCoy and Kurt Harriman | Wednesdays | 6:30-9 PM | September 7 - May 17 (33 weeks)

What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey It’s one thing to talk about grace; it’s another to taste its power. What’s So Amazing About Grace? The study takes you and your study group for interactive, gut-level encounters with radical, life-changing grace. Through candid video interviews, Philip Yancey integrates true-life faces and experiences with 10 powerful sessions that will rock your preconceptions, get you thinking and talking, and help you discover together why grace is more amazing than you’ve ever dreamed. Leader: TBD | Wednesdays | 6:45-7:45 PM | September 7 - November 16 (10 weeks)

Serving With Eyes Wide Open by David Livermore Short-term mission trips are great ways to impact the kingdom. Yet they can lack effectiveness because of mistakes or naiveté on the part of participants. In this insightful and timely book, David A. Livermore calls us to serve with our eyes open to global and cultural realities so we can become more effective cross-cultural ministers. Serving with Eyes Wide Open is a must-have book for anyone doing a short-term mission or service project, whether domestic or overseas. Leader: TBD | Wednesdays | 6:45-7:45 PM | September 7 - December 14 (14 weeks) Harvest Times | Harvest United Methodist Church | 6

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FALL SEED GROUPS CONTINUED Immersion Bible Studies: Mark by Emerson B. Powery

Five Marks of a Methodist by Magrey de Vega, Steve Harper

Journey inside the pages of Scripture to meet a personal God who enters

This small-group study is based on Steve

individual lives and begins a creative

Harper’s book Five Marks of a Methodist.

work from the inside out. Shaped with the individual in

Six sessions provide extended reflection

mind, Immersion encourages simultaneous engagement

for adults on the five identifiers that Wesley sets forth in “The

both with the Word of God and with the God of the Word

Character of a Methodist,” which he published in 1742.

to become a new creation in Christ. Leader: TBD | Wednesdays | 6:45 - 7:45 PM

Leaders: Ken Morrison and Dick Smith | Wednesdays

September 7 - November 2 (9 weeks)

6:45 - 7:45 PM | September 7 - October 19 (7 weeks)

The Call: The Life and Message of the Apostle Paul by Adam Hamilton From the road to Damascus to the sun-drenched lands of modernday Greece and Turkey to a Roman prison, go with Adam Hamilton as he follows the journeys of Paul in this six-week DVD study about Christianity’s greatest

LIFT IN PRAYER We invite you to lift in prayer the following Harvest family: Jim and Judy Mercer - Their daughter Melody passed away in August after a long fight against cancer.

GOD OF MERCY, HEAR OUR PRAYERS

teacher and missionary. You’ll see exactly where some of the most dramatic events in the spread of Christianity took place, and through Hamilton’s insightful and colorful teaching style, you’ll quite probably likely gain a better understanding of Paul’s missionary travels than if you had covered the many miles in person. Leader: Michael Corley | Wednesdays | 6:45 - 7:45 PM September 7 - October 19 (7 weeks)

JULY VITAL SIGNS

WORSHIP ATTENDANCE* 2016: 595 2015: 570

ONLINE VIEWERS* 2016: 27 2015: 0

TOTAL GIVING FOR APRIL SMALL GROUPS* 2016: $121,928 2016: 230 2015: $223,879 2015: 236

* Numbers reflect weekly averages. Harvest Times | Harvest United Methodist Church | 7

14305 Covenant Way Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED 941.907.7333 welcometoharvest.org

Starting September 11

welcometoharvest.org/message-series

Non–Profit Organization U. S. Postage PAID Manasota, FL Permit No. 69